Shattered Justice (A Persona Quest)

You didn't really get a good look at the Velvet Room, when you were here before the crash, but you know for a fact that it looked different, from personal observation as much as what you've heard from Makoto-san. Among other things, the lights pooling on the ground in the shape of tarot cards are sort of an obvious adjustment, not to mention the doors.

There are two doors. One of them has a blue light over it, and the other one, yellow. There are four locks. One of them, for some reason, is shaped like a heart.

You don't feel like you should be touching them. One of those locks is so old and rusted, you're pretty sure there aren't enough tetanus shots in the world to be able to handle it safely.

"You know, it's... almost nostalgic," Lavenza comments, wandering after the Magician card as it appears on the floor.

You glance at her. "What do you mean?"

"Depending on who is visiting, and for what purpose, the Velvet Room can take on a wide variety of forms. These days, it is mostly the newest Guests who visit, so it is mostly an elevator... But for those who found power more than a decade ago, the Velvet Room takes the form of a lounge similar to this one, if much more simple in design. For a decade, it was the only form of the room that got any real use."
She is going to love the variety that'll start popping up, especially if she makes it to the cinema.
"I guess it didn't have doors like this, though."

She shakes her head. "It's not unusual that the Velvet Room would contain doors for the inhabitants to make use of, but never as large and gaudy as these. They also wouldn't be locked like this- tell me, what is the purpose of a door which cannot be opened?"

"Well..." You're not sure if she's looking for an actual answer, or if she's just complaining, but you're going to act as though it's the former. "I guess... it could keep people you don't want to from getting in... but I guess you already have a front door for that..." Not that said front door is perfect, apparently, if all of you could get in.

"Yes, cases like yours tend to be in the minority," She agrees. "I... actually don't believe it's ever happened before. If it has, I've certainly never been told about it... Perhaps they only happen when Master Igor is away."
I mean... He wasn't at the cinema, either, so there's a chance...
You really don't know enough about her circumstances to be able to respond to this. "You don't think anyone else would tell you about this?"

"I'm not sure they would see the need. But... I suppose none of us are very good at talking about things unless we actively need to know them. I've been led to believe that we are... very human, in that regard."

You think about the many things that you hadn't heard about until well after it would have been good to know them, and are forced to concede her point. Lack of communication is definitely a thing that exists, and it really isn't good for anyone.

Of course, these days, not communicating really is the least of your problems, what with the general lack of direction you all have besides 'maybe don't let the giant Shadows wreak havoc on the city that you live in,' which was honestly always going to be a priority even if it didn't apparently have ties to the number of cases of Apathy Syndrome around.

...Maybe you could get Lavenza's advice for something? At the very least, you think you've played out this particular subject for the time being.


[ ] Discuss Elizabeth.
-[ ] Has she always been like this?
-[ ] How has everyone coped with her not living in the Velvet Room anymore?
-[ ] You think you have some idea of why she left the Velvet Room, and it's completely terrifying.

[ ] Discuss Kala-Nemi.
-[ ] You feel a lot stronger now.
-[ ] You're... a lot more comfortable with yourself now.
-[ ] Does she think there'd be a particularly good time to mention him to the others, or should you just let them notice while you're fighting something?
-[ ] You... think it was her actions that pushed your Resolution.

[ ] Discuss the festival.
-[ ] What are her opinions on the food booths?
-[ ] Would she be interested in trying experimental flavors of ice cream?
-[ ] Does she have any idea just what the "students" are?

"I... have a new Persona now." You aren't sure if this is the right subject to switch to or not, but you're going to try. "He's called Kala-Nemi."

"Kala-Nemi..." Lavenza quietly repeats what you've told her, before looking up at you with piercing golden eyes. "...It suits you. Far better than what you had before ever did." It's nice to hear someone else agree with you about that.

"It's... probably thanks to you that I have him, you know." You've given plenty of thought to this, and you're really not sure you would have been able to take this path without your friend's help, or at least not as easily as you have.
I mean, technically speaking, you're just a month ahead, but also you've got more to deal with than I did, so...
She shakes her head. "You give me too much credit. I'm sure that you would be perfectly capable of growing as a person with or without me being there."

"You... really helped me, though. Not just recently, but all the time. If you weren't around, me and Shinjiro-san might still be avoiding each other."

"I highly doubt that. To maneuver around such a large subject for so long would require one to be socially capable." It hurts because it's true. "Though... I suppose I may have given you a bit of assistance."

Just a bit. Just pointing out what you didn't want to become, and giving you that final push over the edge that you'd been waiting for. It might not feel like much to her, but for you... that's a lot. And you don't think there's enough words in the dictionary to get that fact across to her.

But you put a lot of stock in her help, and you can be sure she at least knows that, so you suppose that things are going just as well as they need to be.

---

The scouting team comes back with the report that the Shadows in the earliest sections of the Labyrinth are all blobs and floating mouths.

"The mouths have displayed a weakness to being punched," Aigis-san comments, which given how the scouting team didn't have Akihiko-san in it, probably has an interesting story attached. "The blobs have displayed weaknesses to every magical element we used against them."

That would be... Wind, Ice, Curse, Fire, and Nuclear. That leaves Lightning, Bless and Psy all untested, that you know of.

...That's all your elements. You hope they work just as well as everything else.

Meanwhile, in the exploration of the school itself, Theodore has been keeping himself occupied in the crafts room, while Elizabeth managed to obtain a pink nurse's outfit from somewhere. Just looking at it is enough to fill you with dread.

"Well, I'm glad you've found things we can use..." From how Yukari-san's gaze lingers on Elizabeth's outfit, she too is worried about what could happen if anyone actually goes to her for treatment. "But, I think we'd be better off getting straight into the Labyrinth, what do you say?"

None of you have immediate disagreements, and you follow after her back into the Labyrinth. For now, your priority is to...


[ ] Stab the Shadows. You're sure it'll work this time. Possibly. Maybe. ...You're not that confident.

[ ] Test your elements on the blobs.

[ ] Conduct further experimentation with the disembodied mouths.

[ ] Get a good look at the scenery.